Laundromat
by NaruSasu-Perfection
Summary: Lavi Bookman x Reader. AU. The Laundromat down the street seems to be her only option when she realizes her washer is broken.
1. Chapter 1

**One **

She doesn't know what happens, but she goes to put her clothes in her washer and it's filled with water. She knows the washer isn't supposed to be filled with water like that and it doesn't help that the water is dyed this ugly brown color and is emitting his horrid smell. She curses under her breath. It's just her luck really. She has almost no clothes because she decided to wait till the last minute to do laundry and now she has no washer and there is no way she is doing it by hand. That is just too much work.

She decides to call someone to repair her washer, but they can't come for another five days and she needs clothes now. She doesn't even have another pair of panties to wear tomorrow because she put everything off. She could just hand wash those and suffer in a pair of sweatpants, but she can't very well wear sweatpants to work. She needs nice clothes to wear to work or her boss will kill her.

It takes her half an hour to realize there is a Laundromat right down the street from her, walking distance if she wanted to walk. She wasn't going to walk though. She had way too many clothes for that. So, she packs up her car with two loads of laundry and drives down to the Laundromat just down the street.

The place is pretty run down on the outside, but the inside looks a little better. She shoves the door open with her hip, her hands full of laundry and blinks when she steps inside. She doesn't have much of an idea of what to do next. She scans the little place and notices a help desk located in the far corner. She is about to go over and ask for help when a flash of red catches her attention. She furrows her eyebrows and turns toward a red headed male about her age. She can't believe the hair on that guy. It's flaming red and obviously natural. She wishes she could have a cool color like that instead of her boring [h/c] hair.

She flickers her gaze back toward the help desk, where a lady is reading an old magazine and decides to just copy what the guy is doing. That's probably her best beat anyway. She makes her way over to the red head, noticing him stuffing all his clothes in one washer and failing to close it no matter how much he struggles. She places her baskets on the ground and notices a few articles of clothing falling out of his washer. "Um…some of your clothes fell out," she tells him. Bright green eyes turn to face her, blinking in confusion before the gaze shifts to look at the ground. The red-head mumbles something under his breath and picks up the few piece of clothing before trying to stuff them in the washer.

She turns her attention to the washer in front of her and starts to shove in some of her clothes, making sure to separate her whites from her colors. She manages to fill two washers with all her clothes and barely gets them both to close. She notices the male next to her is still struggling and lets out a small sigh. "Um, do you need some help?" she asks, tilting her head a bit to the side.

"Nah, I just don't have enough money for another washer and my clothes just barely don't fit," he explains, shoving on the door of the washer. [Name] chuckles when it burst open on him, someone of his clothes falling to the ground. He groans, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. "I told gramps I would need to do two loads…" he mutters, picking up some clothes off the ground and dumping them into the bin next to him.

"I have some extra money if you wanna use it. I didn't know how many loads I would need to do so….yeah, you can have some if you want," she explains. She gives the red-head a nervous smile as he looks at her, obviously deciding if he should take the money or not.

"I don't have money on me to pay you back…"

"Oh, I don't mind! It's not like it's a lot of money to pay for a washer. How about you just tell me your name and we'll call it even?" She gives him a big smile, hoping he won't make a big deal out of this. It's only a dollar and twenty five cents. It's not a big deal to give him such a small amount of money.

"Well, I don't know how I can turn that offer down. My gramps will have my head if I don't come back with all my laundry clean." The red head laughs, rubbing the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "I'm Lavi." He sticks his hand out and she smiles at him as she takes it.

"I'm [name] and now we are even," she tells him. She digs into her pocket and pulls out the right amount of quarters before dropping them in his palm. He gives her a wide grin and turns back to his machine. She watches as he drops the quarters in the machine he was using before going to load up the one next to it. She does the same for her machine, nodding to herself when the thirty minutes flashes back at her to start the count down. "So, how come-" She cuts herself off when she notices the red head has vanished. That means she just lost of entertainment for the next half an hour.

* * *

**Two**

She curses the repair man when he calls and cancels on her. She doesn't believe for a second a family emergency came up, but she isn't going to fit him either. She hangs the phone up with a loud slam and let's out an annoyed huff of air as she crosses her arms. She really doesn't want to go to the Laundromat today but she doesn't have another choice. The outfit she needs for work is dirty and she had to clean it before tomorrow. She can't very well go to her parents' house for something like this.

She contemplates her options for a while but they all only lead her to the Laundromat. She doesn't want to bother her friends and the drive is longer to get to her friend's house rather than go to the Laundromat. The trip alone to her friend's house would take the whole washing cycle and she can just use her drier at home. It would be a waste of gas if she went to her friend's house as well.

She lets out another sigh and gathers her dirty clothes. She has enough for one load this time and grads the correct amount of change. She stops before she is out the door and decides to grab some extra change in case she runs into someone like Lavi again or simply just Lavi. She hasn't been able to get her mind off the red head since she saw him only a few days ago. She shakes the red head from her mind and grabs her keys.

The drive takes a few minutes and she pushes the rusty door of the Laundromat open with her elbow, slipping inside before the door closes behind her. She makes her way to the same area she used the last time and starts to load the washer. All the clothes are in and she puts the correct amount money in and smiles to herself when the thirty flashes in front of her eyes, telling her the washer is correctly on and working.

She takes a seat across from her washer and places her bag on her lap. She gets comfortable and pulls out a book from her bag. She opens to the marked page and finds herself bored within seconds. She lets out a sigh and tries to concentrate on the book. She ends up reading the same sentence for a few minutes before she snaps it shut and decides to just people watch. She lets her [e/c] eyes scan the area. She sees an old women sitting with a young child down the row from her. The young child is bounding up and down, obviously bored. Across the place the worker stands behind the desk, a magazine pulled up to her nose, but her eyes clearly not reading the words as she stares off into space. The flash of red entering the Laundromat catches her attention and her breath catches when she notices Lavi walking in with a bag full of clothes. He gives a two figure salute to the worker who nods and heads in her direction. She instantly turns her gaze in front of her and pulls her book open, pretending to read. She hopes he doesn't notices she saw him come in.

The red head doesn't notice her at first as he stuffs his washer full. She doesn't understand how he could accumulate all those dirty clothes so quickly. He tries to shove the washer shut, but can't seem to manage it. He turns to the side and starts to push his shoulder into the door, his face showing just how concentrated he is on the task. He smiles to himself when the door clicks and starts to shove quarters into the machine before it turns on.

Lavi finally turns around when the thirty flashes on the little screen and his eyes focus on [name]. A grin takes over his features and he slides into the seat next to her. "I'm surprised you're back. You don't seem to be the Laundromat type," he comments, his eyes scanning her body, taking in the loose t-shirt and tight skinny jeans. He seems to approve of her outfit as he finally lets his gaze settle on her [e/c] eyes.

"My washer broke. The repair man was supposed to come fix it today, but cancelled on me. I needed a specific outfit for work tomorrow and it just so happened to be dirty. I decided I might as well do all my laundry if I'm here," she explains, marking the page in the book she was not actually reading. She sends him a small smile and turns her attention to her washer to check how much time she has.

"Well, since you're stuck here another day why don't we go get a coffee? I still owe you for the change you lent me last time and you still have twenty-five minutes left for the washer. So long as we are back in time no one will try to steal your stuff." He pauses for a second to search [name]'s face for rejection. "I learned that the hard why," he adds with a laugh when he notices she doesn't look like she'll turn him down.

"You had your clothes stolen?" she asks curiously. She looks out at her washer, biting her lip. She can't afford to have her clothes stolen, but she really wants to go get a coffee with Lavi. She's been thinking about him since they met last and she doesn't want to miss her chance.

"Yeah, but only because I left it for hours after it was done. If we get back in time then no one will bother to steal stuff. Plus, the person working usually keeps a good eye on the stuff," Lavi explains, a smile on his lips. She can tell he is regretting his last comment. He obviously wants this little coffee date as much as she does.

"Well…if you say so. I wouldn't mind a coffee anyway. It was a long day at work."

She likes the smile that adorns his features when he realizes she just said yes.

* * *

**[Author's Note:** This is just a little something I'm writing. I've posted these two parts on my tumblr already and thought I'd share the story on here as well. I hope people like this first part (Well, it's actually two parts, but I made it one to post it up here).


	2. Chapter 2

**Three**

The coffee date went better than she thought it would. They talked like old friends and she got to learn a lot about him. She knows he's still in college, 21 years old and working toward a medical degree. He works at his grandfather's bookstore when he has time and reads almost all the books that go through the book store. He graduated high school a year early and eight grade a year early. That put him in college at the age of 16.

The only problem with the date was that she didn't get his phone number.

She is tempted to conveniently have the mechanic cancel again so she has an excuse to go to the Laundromat, but she knows that would be on the pathetic side. She doesn't want to seem that desperate. Plus, she doesn't even know if he'll be at the Laundromat when she goes.

She decides to just drive by it on her way home from work. It adds an extra five minutes to her drive, but if she runs into Lavi the extra five minutes is totally worth it. She is about to give up with the extra five minute drive when she notices the batch of red hair in the Laundromat. She pulls over onto the side of the road and smiles to herself as she pushes the door open. She is about to walk over when she notices it isn't Lavi standing on the other side of the Laundromat. The man has red hair, but looks older and half his face covered. She frowns, shoulders slouched in defeat. She'll just have to accept that she isn't going to see him again.

"What's wrong, [name]?" The question startles her and she ends up dropping the door as she spins around, the glass coming in contact with her butt, throwing her forward. She falls into Lavi's chest and she can feel the chuckle rumbling against her cheek. She pulls away as quick as possible, nearly falling as she tries to get her footing.

"S-sorry, um…." She doesn't know what to say know. She can't very well tell him she was looking for him. She can't tell him she's been driving by this place every day after work just so she can see him and talk to him. She can't tell him she thought of cancelling on the mechanic just to come back to glimpse the red hair she's grown to really like in only the few short times they've seen each other.

"Where you looking for me?" Lavi teases and she tries to laugh, force the sound out of her lips, but it just sounds bad and Lavi blinks at her, obviously wondering if his words were true. "Wait…where you?" He tilts his head to the side a bit and she bits her lips, contemplating what to say. She decides the truth is the best way to go.

"I guess…um…Maybe-" She takes in a deep breath, because she's pretty sure her lungs are going to give as well as her heart as it pounds against her rib cage. "I just wanted to know if we could go out again." The words are rushed and she's worried he will turn her down when he takes so long to say something.

"Really?" The words leave his lips minutes later, or at least she thinks its been minutes because it feels like it has.

"Yeah, I really liked hanging out with you last time," she says honestly. She returns the smile that graces his lips.

"I would love to go out with you again! Here, we can exchange numbers and see what happens," he says, digging into his pocket. He pulls out an old beat up phone and she wonders how he can afford college if he can't even afford a new phone. He's smart though. He must be on scholarship. She gives him a sheepish smile when she pulls out her new iPhone issued by her work. She watches in amazement as his fingers fly across the screen and in seconds the phone is thrust back into her hands. She takes the phone and shoves it back into her pocket before finishing up with him phone. "I'll call you?"

"That sounds good to me," she smiles. They stand in silence for a few minutes and the red head [name] mistook Lavi for walks out, nodding in Lavi's direction before walking away. That breaks them both out of their silence. "I'll see you later then." Lavi nods his head.

"Yeah, bye!"

She watches as he walks into the Laundromat, her fingers gripping the iPhone hidden in her pocket.

* * *

**Four**

She doesn't date college guys for a reason. They are always too busy with work or sports or partying that they never actually have time to spend with her. She hasn't dated someone in college since she was a sophomore. She always dated people older, ones who knew how to treat her right even if they broke it off in the end because she was 'too young' for them.

Lavi was no different.

Lavi studies a lot. She didn't realize how much he studied till she really got to know him. She wants to hang out and he is always glued to his text book, studying something about medicine. They spend time together and he always finds a way to study. If he isn't in class, he is glued to him book. The only time that he isn't glued to his book is when he does his laundry once a week.

[Name] asks him one day why he doesn't take more breaks from studying, but he always has the same answer. He needs to study to get good grades. She'll then ask him why he doesn't study while his laundry is going. He'll tell her because it is the only time he lets his brain rest besides sleeping. She didn't know someone could even study that much. She knows she sure didn't study that much in college.

That's how the Laundromat became their place.

Lavi doesn't have much time for dates. They've been on a few, but nothing that lasts more than a few hours. He always has to study. He says his grandfather will kill him if he spends too much time doing other things. The Laundromat ended up being their date time. It's the only time Lavi can get away from studying and the pressure his grandfather puts on him. It's the only time they seem to be able to find that is really good for both of them.

She finds himself in the dingy Laundromat way more than she would like too. She's tells him he can just use her washer and drier at home now that they are fixed, but he refuses. He doesn't want to take advantage of their relationship. She just sighs and goes along with it. She just has to deal with the dirty old place if she wants to keep seeing Lavi.

They normally sit and talk for the half an hour that the washer needs to run. After he puts his clothes in the drier they take the fifty minutes to go out and get a cup of coffee or go out for a light meal somewhere close. They then walk back to the Laundromat and [Name] helps Lavi fold his laundry. The 'date' ends with a kiss and they are off.

It's just not working for [Name].

She's a grown woman and she finds herself wanting a more grown up relationship, one that involves nice restaurants and flowers rather than coffee dates and café meals. She wants to be able to hang out with him after work and have his full attention because he doesn't have to work outside of work. They can just sit out the couch after a nice dinner and she can fall asleep in his arms or they can make their way to bed for a nice round of sex before they go to sleep.

She always just finds herself at the Laundromat.

"Lavi?" she questions, turning her attention to the red head. He turns his attention toward her, a grin on his lips, nodding his head for her to go on. "Um….we need to talk about our relationship." The grin on his lips slips for only a second, but it quickly placed back on. She's gotten so used to that grin that it isn't special anymore.

"What do ya want to talk about?"

"Well, I just think we need to spend some more time together. I mean, I see you barely twice a week sometimes. I know you have to study, but I just want to go on dates that don't involve the Laundromat or the little café down the street," she explains. She holds her breath as Lavi rolls her words around in his head, obviously thinking about what he can do.

"How about we go out tomorrow? I mean, I'll still have to study, but I'll take ya out more. I really like ya and I don't wanna mess this up, but with med school coming to an end it's hard to balance everything," he tells her. She smiles. This may only be a start, but at least he is willing to try to make this better.

"I know. Trust me, I know the end of school is hard, but one date won't kill you," she laughs. Lavi nods his head and she earns herself one of those rare smiles. It isn't his usual grin, but a smile that actually lights up his green eyes, a smile she wants to see more often.

"I like the sound of a date anyway. We can go out for a nice meal and maybe a movie?" [Name] nods her head in agreement, excited about the date already. "Good!" She giggles and places a soft kiss on his lips. Lavi smiles into the kiss and places a hand on her knee, moving his thumb back and forth against the material of her jeans. They don't plan to stop kissing, but someone behind them clears their throat and they pull apart, blushing as they turn away from the person.

"I'm looking forward to the date," [Name] tells him before they leave that day. Lavi agrees with her, a cheery smile on his lips as he waves goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

**Five**

She starts to hate the Laundromat. She hates going every week for her dates with Lavi. She just wants to go on a normal date and hang out with him every day after work. Well, not every day, but more than once or twice a week. She'd like to go to a restaurant that is a bit more sophisticated than the little café down the street as well.

It takes her a few months to decide she can't really do this anymore. She really likes Lavi, but she knows he is only going to get busier when he graduates at the end of spring, which isn't that far off. He already has an internship and the hospital isn't even close to them. He's probably going to move away and she just needs to end it before she gets too attached to him. She doesn't want to really start falling in love with him only for him to break it off when he leaves for his new job.

The weather is finally getting nice after the short winter. The air outside is warming with the ever present sun and the flowers are starting to dig themselves out of the dirt and show their beautiful colors. [Name] decides to walk down to the Laundromat. She doesn't want to miss out on the good weather.

It only takes her about twenty minutes to walk down to the Laundromat and she can see Lavi's red hair in the building. She lets out a deep breath, calming her nerves. She has to do this now. She has to do this before she gets too attached and he breaks her heart.

She stands outside for a second, before she pushes the door open. She steps into the building, glancing around. There is only one other person inside beside the worker. The less people the better if she plans to break up with Lavi. She doesn't want to cause a scene and she doesn't need people talking about her or anything. She knows a lot of these people know Lavi and wouldn't be on her side of this argument if it exploded in the Laundromat.

"Lavi," she greets, taking the seat across from his washer. He shots her a smile over his shoulder and stuff the clothes into his washer. She grips the change in her pocket as she watches him struggle to get all his clothes into the one washer. It's become a habit to bring change in case he needs it. She bits her lip when some of his clothes fall into the floor. "Do you need some change?"

"No, it should fit," he tells her, ramming his shoulder into the washer to try and get the door to the close. The click sounds in the little Laundromat and Lavi smiles in satisfaction, clapping his hands together in a job well done. She watches as he puts his quarters into the machine, the thirty blinking as the machine turns on. He smiles to himself and turns around to give [Name] a quick kiss. He frowns when she turns her head away, his lips hitting her cheek instead of her lips.

"Look, we need to talk," [Name] tells him. She can tell by his face that he knows it isn't going to be good. It's never good when someone says that. He quickly masks the obvious pain and places his grin back on his lips. That's one of the many things that annoys her about the red head. He is always masking his emotions behind that stupid grin. She just wants him to express himself better.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asks, sitting in the seat next to her. He turns to look at her and she can see the pain in his eyes. He hasn't ever been this open with his emotions. She can feel the little pang in her heart and bits her bottom lip. She doesn't have to do it, but she can't let this go on. She can't let herself get hurt.

"Well, I think we need to end this thing that we have. I mean, you're always busy with school and you're going to some crazy hospital really far away next year. I don't want to get attached only to have you leave because of this job. We aren't going to be able to do long distance either. I know how much being a doctor means to you and I don't want to hold you back," she explains. She watches the pained look cross his features until a sad smile finally makes its way to his lips. He lets out a deep sigh, turning his attention away from [name] to look at the washer.

"There isn't anything I'll be able to do to change your mind?"

"No. I've been thinking about this for a while and I think it's beter to end it. We are at different parts of our life right now and I'm not going to be the reason you screw up your job or anything. I really like you Lavi. I do, but I think it is for the best."

She can feel the tears coming to her own eyes. She didn't want to have to do this. She really liked the red head, but she can't let this go on. "I understand, [Name]. I really liked you too. Maybe, we'll meet again sometime," he says, turning to look at her again. She has never seen such emotions across his face before and it hurts. It makes her want to pull him closer and kiss him, but she can't. She has to be strong. She has to do this.

"Maybe," she whispers, moving closer to place a soft kiss on his lips. She pulls away before he gets a chance to respond. "Good bye." And she leaves, because she can't look at the pain on his face any longer. She'll only take him back if she stays. She can't give into what she wants, because it will only hurt more.

* * *

**Epilogue**

She doesn't know what happens, but she goes to put her clothes in her washer and it's filled with water. She knows the washer isn't supposed to be filled with water like that and it doesn't help that the water is dyed this ugly brown color and is emitting his horrid smell. She curses under her breath. It's just her luck really. She has almost no clothes because she decided to wait till the last minute to do laundry and now she has no washer and there is no way she is doing it by hand. That is just too much work.

She decides to call someone to repair her washer, but they can't come for another five days and she needs clothes now. She doesn't even have another pair of panties to wear tomorrow because she put everything off. She could just hand wash those and suffer in a pair of sweatpants, but she can't very well wear sweatpants to work. She needs nice clothes to wear to work or her boss will kill her.

She bits her lips when she realizes the Laundromat down the street is her only option. She hasn't been there in five years and she wasn't planning to ever go back. She doesn't have another choice though. With a sigh, she loads her clothes into her car and brings some change, hesitating before she grabs some extra change just in case.

The place looks just like she remembers. It's still run down and the letters on the front are pealing now. She lets out a deep breath and pushes the door open, stopping in her tracks when the head of red hair catches her eye. She would know that red hair anywhere. She hasn't seen anyone with hair like that since she dated Lavi all those years ago.

She quickly composes herself, stepping into the Laundromat and letting the door slam behind her. She smiles in apology to the worker and makes her way to the back of the Laundromat where Lavi is stuffing his clothes into one of the machines.

She can feel the nervous butterflies pounding against her stomach and she pushes them away.

She drops her clothes on the ground when she is standing next to him, catching his attention. Green eyes turn to look at her, widening in shock when they meet [e/c] eyes. She gives him a small smile. "Hi Lavi," she greets, turning her attention back to her machine. She opens the door and starts to stuff her clothes into it. "I thought you worked at that hospital a few cities over?"

"I got transferred after I passed my boards. I work at the hospital downtown now," he explains, stuffing some more clothes into his washer before closing it. He drops his quarters into the machine and the little thirty flashes before him. "What have you been up too?"

"Nothing much," she shrugs, putting her own clothes in the washer before she turns it on. She turns her attention toward him when she's done and smiles. "I got a promotion at work, but nothing special."

They fall into silence, both obviously looking for something to say. [Name] wants to ask him to go with her to the little café down the street, but she doesn't know if that would be to forward. It's been five years since they dated and she doesn't need him to think she is desperate. He was one of the few guys she's ever liked enough to let them live their lives. She regretted breaking it off the second she left the Laundromat that day.

She's snapped out of her thoughts when Lavi clears his throats, that goofy grin she came to hate when they were dating adorning his features. She never thought she would miss that grin. She smiles at him, encouraging him to go on, because she can't think of anything to say. "Would you like to catch up with a cup of coffee?" She can feel the nervous butterflies fluttering as she nods her head, a big smile on her lips.

"I'd love that," she tells him. She glances at her washer, realizing they have about twenty-five minutes before they have to come back for their laundry. She knows a lot can happen in twenty-five minutes. It kicked off their whole relationship last time, so she hopes it will do the same this time.

**End. **

* * *

**I hope everyone enjoyed the little series!**


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